Down The Alley

by Caelsto, Mary Kit

  Sara went to Rose’s stall and haltered her mare, then lead her into the aisle and fastened the cross-ties. She started grooming the horse, though her flea-bitten gray coat shone. “I think you’d do great.” Sara bent over to pick out hooves.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t shown since I was a kid and that was a schooling show. I’d have to buy everything! I don’t even own a show coat or white breeches.” Eva stifled a laugh. “My god, can you imagine my ass in white breeches?” She laughed hard enough to startle Cin from munching on his hay.

  “That’s why the coats cover it. Believe me, all the other riders are going to be worrying about their asses. You were my groom at the show last fall. That ought to give you an idea of what it’ll be like.” Sara finished picking out her mare’s hooves, then put the dressage pad and saddle on her.

  Eva turned away from the stall, seriously considering what Sara had said. It wasn’t as crazy as she thought to show; it had been her goal all along. Sara was changing up her gear, using her dressage saddle instead of her jumping one. Must be going to work on the flat. Rose had been getting quick to the fences. “I’ll think about it,” Eva replied. She turned for the tack room, needing to grab her purse and phone, then head home and take care of some work before Monday morning.

  Sara nodded and led Rose to the arena. The time for talking was done. Sara was super serious about her schooling. And who could blame her? Everyone knew Sara was a formidable competitor, placing well in the hunter arena.

  Once in the tack room, Eva checked her phone. No messages from work, or anyone else. She sighed, thinking she ought to be relieved. Instead, she wondered what her husband was doing. Where was he staying? She’d hardly heard from him, not even to talk about finalizing their separation with a divorce. She supposed she ought to talk to an attorney. She worked in a building with a family law office. Yet, she couldn’t. She loved Mark. Still loved him. Tears stung her eyes. She blinked furiously; there was no way she was going to break down now. Not here. Not after a fabulous ride on Cin. Knowing she was leaving him in good hands—Cora was the best—she went to her car and a few moments later was driving back to her house which was all too empty these days.

  After dinner of leftover spaghetti with her mother’s meatball recipe, and garlic toast made with fresh bread from the bakery in town, Eva relaxed on the couch with her laptop and a can of sparkling water. She finished up the correspondence for her bosses, mostly routine stuff related to some projects on which they were bidding. She scanned her email, deleting all the promotional offers. She didn’t need to tempt herself right now.

  The last email caught her attention. From Mark. Her heart pounded and she wondered if she should even open it.

  Eva,

  Are you free on Tuesday night? Let’s meet at Michaela's. I’ll make reservations. We need to talk.

  Mark

  Eva sucked in a deep breath. Oh my. The significance of the restaurant wasn’t lost on her as memories flooded her mind. The night Mark had proposed to her. Setting aside her laptop, Eva pressed her hands to her face. She had to reply. She needed to know where this was going to go. Did she even want to take Mark back? His words had hurt. Yeah, she’d spent a lot of time at the barn, but damn it, Cin had been her therapy, her solace since her sister had died. The last thing Ivy had made her promise was that she would spend more time at the barn. She’d gotten Cin two years before Ivy had died from metastatic breast cancer. She’d been musing aloud, thinking her sister was sound asleep, about how she wished she could spend more time at the barn and Mark had been getting upset. Sure, she’d done her dues, even leased a horse for a few years. Now that she not only had a horse of her own, but a promising one…she couldn’t imagine spending less time at the barn.

  Which left her thinking about her husband’s email and the hateful words he’d said the night he’d stormed out. He’d even accused her of having a lover at the barn. No, she didn’t swing that way, considering that nearly all of the boarders were women her age. That’s why she’d chosen Noble Dreams Farms, because she felt comfortable not being surrounded by a bunch of kids taking lessons.

  “Why are you doing this now, Mark?” She frowned, knowing there wouldn’t be any answers coming from the empty walls. A picture above the fireplace caught her attention—a candid photo one of Mark’s buddies from work had taken when they’d been at an event. She didn’t need to see the picture in detail to know that they both looked happy. Young and in love. They’d been newlyweds, barley three months into their marriage.

  She’d been down this road before. Lifting her drink, she realized it was empty, and carried the can to the kitchen for recycling. She reached for a second one and then decided against it. Instead, a partial bottle of chardonnay from a girl’s night at the barn sat in her fridge. She poured herself a glass.

  Her phone called to her. It’d take a couple of taps and she could be dialing Mark’s number and find out exactly what he wanted. She could do that. It made sense and would probably save a lot of heartache. As she had the many times before, she decided against it. If he wanted to correspond via email, then she’d reply that way. She’d do this his way, until she found out what he wanted.

  She sipped her drink and grabbed her laptop. A quick reply assured him that she’d be there and suggested 7pm for their meeting if possible. Contrary to what he’d probably believe, it’d give her time to come home from work in case there were late meetings, shower, dress, and compose herself. She wouldn’t be going to the barn that night.

  Her phone buzzed.

  Eva’s heart stopped. Could it be…? No, she knew better. She hit send on the email and then grabbed her phone and smiled. Cora texted her about the show. She quickly replied, saying yes, she was thinking about it, and she’d like more information. A jubilant emoji came in response and Eva laughed. The farm might have been named after all of their hopes and dreams, especially Cora’s, but the good-natured joke, which Cora was in on, around the barn was that it should have been called the sparkly unicorn farm because of Cora’s penchant for unicorns.

  Well, if nothing else came of tonight, she’d made her decision to enter the show. Or at least moved forward with it. She brought up the show’s website, checked the class list and found a couple that fit her schooling level. The entry fees gave her pause. The idea of winning, or even just coming home with a ribbon inflated a bubble of hope inside her. Already, she had two professional photographs of her and Cin, one where they were jumping and a close-up of just the two of them, hanging in a small nook in the bedroom she used as her office. An empty ribbon bar hung below them. To start to fill it would also fulfill not only her promise to Ivy, but also a lifelong dream. She had to go for it. There was no other answer.

  Mark’s email came by the time she was ready for bed. She checked her email on her phone, a bad habit she’d developed at a previous employer who often demanded things after hours.

  Eva,

  Reservations are set. It’ll be nice to see you. Thanks for agreeing to this.

  Mark

  That didn’t sound like an email from a man about to divorce his wife. Nice to see you…Thanks for agreeing…Mark hadn’t spoken to her like that in a long time. Eva released a breath and wondered if she wasn’t needlessly driving herself in circles. The memory of his dark blue eyes shining with warmth and affection on their wedding night made her throat tighten. The way they’d hunched over the little stick she held to see if she was pregnant, and his disappointment as he held her, on that time and the several times thereafter until they decided it just wasn’t meant to be. His problem. Her problem. She didn’t know, and frankly at this point, didn’t care. She’d made her life, loved it, and the idea that he’d turn the love and affection he’d once shown her onto another person stung. Hard. She crawled under the covers, still not used to how empty the king-sized bed felt without him there. At some point she’d have to come to terms with this situation, do something so neither of them would be stuck in this limbo. Tonight was not the night to
contemplate it.

  ~* * *~

  Monday wasn’t the day to contemplate it either, not when the text came at 3. I think Cin is colicking. I’ve called the vet. Eva drove to the barn, her heart in her throat. She found Cin on his feet, being lead up and down the barn aisle by Ashley, the girl who did stalls during the week, while Cora and Dr. Vanner looked on with concern. Eva went to Cin, taking the lead rope from Ashley’s hand. “Thanks so much,” she said and gave her horse a pat on the neck. “What’d you eat that has your stomach in knots?” Hers had been since her husband’s email. Her horse, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing to be upset about. She turned him back up the aisle and stopped in front of Cora.

  “Thanks so much for texting. What happened?” She glanced at the vet who turned to measure out something in a syringe.

  “Ashley found him down and rolling in his stall. She got him up, because he kept going down, then ran and got me. We’ve had him up, and there’s gut sounds. He’s passed gas. The vet thinks it’s just gas colic,” Cora said.

  “Are you sure?” Eva turned to the vet. “We haven’t changed hay or feed that I know of, have we?”

  Cora nodded. “Everything is the same. He was turned out this morning. Most of the horses just hung out under the shelter since it was so chilly and kind of misting on and off, nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Except Eva knew it was. If there was one thing her boy liked, it was mud. She frowned. “Cin loves the mud. He didn’t try to roll in it or anything?”

  “Not that I saw, but I was busy with farm business most of the morning. Didn’t come out of my office until Ashley came and got me.” Cora rested her hand on Eva’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m sure Cin will be okay.”

  Eva nodded and turned her face toward Cin’s neck. Drawing several deep breaths, she appreciated Cin turning his head around to rest it against her. “I know, boy. I know.” She drew a shuddering breath and then turned to the vet. “What are we going to do?”

  The vet outlined a treatment plan Banamine for the pain. More hay, maybe back off on his grain for a bit. They could scope for ulcers, though since this was the first time he’d really colicked, then that might be a bit much. She suggested a couple of supplements that might help.

  Just then Cin raised his tail and passed gas, quite loudly. A moment later the tail went up again and he dropped a large, wet pile of droppings in the middle of the aisle.

  On one hand, Eva was mortified. Cin’s gas stunk. And yet, she was happy to see the pile. It meant everything was working as it should, or at least headed in that direction. She tied Cin to the cross ties, and then grabbed a pitchfork that leaned against one of the stalls and scooped up the pile. She dumped it in a muck bucket and debated about carrying it out to the manure pile itself.

  “Let me look at that,” the vet said. She strode forward, carrying an exam glove and a tongue depressor.

  Eva stepped side. Once her gloves were on, the vet used the tongue depressor to poke through Cin’s pile. She straightened and turned, taking off her gloves, inside out, then putting the tongue depressor in it, and throwing them away. “Looks normal.” She stopped in front of Eva.

  “This may have been caused by a change in the weather. We floated his teeth recently and I know Cora runs a tight ship when it comes to feeding.” She smiled at Cora. “I wouldn’t worry. These things happen. I’ll leave some Banamine with Cora in case this happens again, though I’m sure she has some already. Call me if you need me.”

  Cin farted again.

  Eva took the opportunity to put him back in his stall for the time being. They’d walk in the arena in just a bit. As soon as she put him into his stall, Cin went for the hay and started munching. Whatever had upset his stomach seemed to be well on its way toward resolving, and she breathed a sigh of relief. A quick glance down the aisle showed Cora chatting with the vet about something, probably Stormy, one of the boarder’s horses who had some on-again-off-again lameness. She hurried to the tack room to grab her gloves and out of habit, she stuffed a few treats into her pocket. She put them back. Today would not be a good day for them. She returned to find Cin still eating his hay.

  She had just finished haltering him and was heading to the arena when Cora fell into step beside her. “I didn’t mean to worry you if it was so easily resolved, but I thought you’d like to know.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. And I’d much rather be called for something minor like this. Though it bothers me that he colicked.” The empty arena made her relax even more. She didn’t have to worry about being in the way or thinking about some sort of exercise. She could just enjoy this time. “Maybe we shouldn’t show. I mean, I don’t want to give up on it so soon, but if he’s got ulcers or is going to start going off his feed…” Her thoughts trailed into silence.

  “I don’t see any reason why you can’t show. I checked my schedule. There’s room for Cin in the trailer. He’ll be the last horse we can haul, but the spot is his if you want it.”

  “I do.” Eva admitted. In fact, she’d been thinking about it since Sara had first mentioned the idea, and she really really wanted to show. She heard Ivy’s voice in her mind, telling her to go for it. Don’t worry, little sister, I will. “I really do.”

  “Great.” Cora glanced at the barn door where Ashley seemed to be talking to a guy. Her boyfriend maybe? Eva didn’t know, and from the look in Cora’s eyes, maybe she didn’t want to ask. She wasn’t around during the day, so she didn’t know everything that went on, but had heard rumblings that there was some concern over her work. It was too bad, because she seemed to really get along with the horses. “I have to go. If you’re still here we can talk show stuff later. Okay? Let me know if you need anything.”

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  About The Author

  Mary Kit Caelsto never grew out of the phase of being a "horse crazy girl". Though she's now over 40, she's finally fulfilling her dream of writing equestrian books for others who haven't grown out of being "horse crazy". She lives in the Ozarks with her four very spoiled and very opinionated horses, as well as a large flock of poultry and enough cats to qualify her as a crazy cat lady. Her husband, though not an equestrian himself, understands and supports all her equestrian dreams.

  She's convinced three of the best things in the world are the smell of a sun warmed horse, the smell of leather tack, and making sure to hug her horses every single day.

  Picture of the author and “SuperDuck” taken 3/2019. Hair color varies depending on mood.

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